News & Updates
April 27, 2017
I have been in the industry for almost a decade now. I have always liked to experiment and try new methods and think outside the box to get the best flavors and best products. At the at the American Distillers Institute conference this year I found Squarrel Square Barrels, a new product that will allow loads of flexibility in aging with oak. The product is a stainless steel frame with a dozen oak staves inserted into the sides. The staves are cross cut to allow the alcohol to move into the wood more quickly. This allows you to use a barrel-type shape without the costs and hassle of barrels. I don’t see this as a long-term aging solution but for finishing wine, spirits or […]
April 13, 2017
The 2017 American Distillers Institute annual convention had some excellent seminars as well as some very interesting new products. Equity crowdfunding, choosing the right still for your production and exploring exporting were some of our favorite sessions and computer controlled stills as small as 13 gallons and square barrels were our favorites in the equipment/uber nerd category. Choosing the right still for your production was a breakout session by John McKee founder of Headframe Spirits, Matt Haney owner of Hillbilly Stills and Ben Lyon cofounder, distiller of Lyon Distilling. This was a discussion of the differences between pot stills, reflux columns and hybrid pots as well as batch versus continuous processing. Not only were the types of distillates discussed but extensive data of quality over […]
March 22, 2017
I was very impressed with the variety of judges at the Denver Spirits Competition. Our group consisted of distributors reps, bar owners, bartenders, and spirits educators. Spirits were judged double-blind with a 100 point scale. 80 to 85 points being bronze 86 to 91 being silver 92 and over for gold. Tastings were done with the Neat Glass which had these very convenient cardboard covers to keep aromas from interfering with other tastings. All said and done there were 150+ spirits judged in two days. We started off the tasting with 17 corn vodkas in a row which sound a bit dull but it helped hone our skills for the long two-day stretch. Days started off with lighter fare front […]
March 15, 2017
I just set up my first client with Benchmark, an app designed specifically for tracking sales and marketing in the wine, beer, and spirits industries. The software is very detailed and yet very scalable and user-friendly. Here is more from them: Benchmark is a field sales and marketing management and tracking software built by the beer wine and spirits industry for the beer, wine and spirits industry. Companies compensate talent, but fall short on goal setting, activity tracking and collecting account data, Benchmark allows you to empower and manage your field talent to their fullest potential. If you have sales people I would highly recommend giving them a call!
February 9, 2017
We’re excited to share the news that Lenny Gotter will be one of 20 spitits judges at the Denver Spirits Competition! Wine Country Network, Inc, producers of the highly respected Denver International Wine Competition and The Denver International Beer Competition, will conduct the 6th Annual Denver International Spirits Competition on March 4-5, 2017. This double-blind competition will be based on a 100 point scale and we will judge spirits (fairly) by price categories.
August 4, 2016
I am pleased to announce that Lenny Gotter Brand Consulting is the newest associate member of the Washington Distillers Guild! Established in 2008, the Washington Distillers Guild is a 501(c)6 non-profit organization that represents and works to promote the success of distilleries located in the state. It is the largest guild of its kind in the U.S. In July 2014, the Guild hosted the second annual PROOF Washington Distillers Festival where the 40 craft distilleries that make up the Guild offered samples and sales of more than 90 different products.